This invention relates to locks for sliding doors or windows.
Numerous locks of different designs exist for sliding doors and windows. Locks constructed according to known technology have various drawbacks as compared to the advantages of this invention. For example, prior devices are frequently difficult to install, so installation has to be done by a specialized technician. Adjustments are necessary according to the thickness of both the door or window frame, and its associated jamb. Such locks, furthermore, frequently require modifications once installed in their frame, e.g., by adding various components to the lock's hooking device in order to alter its length.
Four different types of locks are constructed currently to meet the needs for the four different types of aluminum frame profiles on the market. It would be advantageous to distribution in the construction industry to provide a single lock useable in any profile frame.
Also, some prior locks do not offer maximum security, because if accidentally installed upside down (which cannot be seen very easily) disengagement of the lock becomes merely a matter of lifting the moving part slightly.
In view of the foregoing, an object of the invention is to provide a lock capable of quick installation into all types of frames, whether aluminum or iron, without the need for any alteration whatsoever.
A second object of the invention is to enable even a non-specialized technician to install a lock into a door or window, and to require the installer only to insert the lock into a prepared cavity in the door or window frame, thus obviating the need to adjust the position of the hooking device, or the length of the hook itself.
A further object is to construct a lock that can be installed, without alteration, in rightwards or leftwards sliding doors or windows.
Yet another object is the achievement of the highest possible security while the door or window is locked, by eliminating hooks and the like which can be manipulated open from outside the door or window.
These and other objects are satisfied by a lock which, according to this invention, includes a plate having a cylindrical opening formed therein, a latch lever attached to the plate, a jamb plate with a headed member extending toward the cylindrical opening, means on the lever for engaging the headed member, and a catch for holding the lever in its engaged position.